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L. O. NICHOLSON.

AUTOMATIC SWITCH ARRANGEMENT.

' APPLICATION FILED FEB.25,1913.

Patented Aug. 4, 1914.

c== w i? F129: 6; 11g 85 11 117 f y 11f 114/ 10g 120 97 115 1 WITNESSES uwqlwofl, /0 71 WC'MM LLOYD C. NICHOLSON, BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

AUTOMATIC SWITCH ARRANGEMENT.

Specification of LettersPatent.

Patented Aug. 4., 1914.

Original application filed January 26. 1912, SeriaLNo. 673,673. Divided and this application filed February I specification.

My invention relates to automatic switch arrangements for electrical 01113111138.

The invention is especially applicable 1n connection with a system, as shown 1n my copending, application for United States Letters Patent, filed January 26, 1912, Serial No. 673,673, of which this application is a division.

One object of the inventionis to provide a cheap, reliableand efficient arrangement by which a circuit will be automatically opened under certain conditions and then automatically closed. 7

Further objects, features and advantages will more clearly appear from the detailed description given below taken in'con'necl on with the accompanying drawings which form apart of this specification.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation partly broken away, of an arrangement embodying Inv invention in one form. F g. is a plan view thereof; Fig. 3 is a detail of the rotating arm and contact of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a plan view of parts shown in Fig. 3, andFig. 5 is a detail she-wing the end construction of one of the contacts in electrical connection with the fuses shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Referring to the drawings, 97 represents an upright post carrying brackets 98, in which is journaled an iron pipe or rod 99, carrying an iron pin 100 at its upper end. Rigidly secured to the pin 100 is a high potential insulator 1'01, upon the top of whichis rigidly secured a rotating arm 81. The arm 81 is preferably formed of a piece of channel iron. w

102 represents suitable supporting means upon which are carried'high potential insulators 103, on the top of which are rigidly secured iron bars 104:, carrying the contacts" The 83 electrically connected therewith. fuses 84 are preferably inclosed in any well known manner, and mainly supported from the bars 104, and electrically connected therewith. The lower ends of the fuses 84 Serial No. 750,477.

are connected to the. conductors 85, which are secured to high potential insulators 105. Bolted upon the arm 81 is an electromagnet 106, provided with a suitable core operating'a bell crank lever 107, journaled in the channel iron 81 at 108. To the opposite end of the bell crank lever 107 is rigidly connected a contact member 109. adapted to make electrical contact with the face of the contact 83. Upon energization of the solenoid 106 the bell crank lever is operated so as to raise the contact 109, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, against the action of spring 110, connected to a depending arm 111, rigid with the bellcrank lever 107. The solenoid 106 is connected in series with conductor 82, switch 109, arm 104, fuse 8a and conductors 85, 86 in an electrical circuit to be opened and closed. A spring 111 tends to rotatethe iron pipe 99 so as to force the contact 109 into engagement with the contact 83. If .now the solenoid 106 be ener- 'gized, the arm 109 will be lifted thereby, so

as to assume the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, whereupon the arm 81 will rotate under the action of spring 111 so that the contact 109 will slide over the top face 112 of the contact 83 (see Figs. 4 and 5), and will come into electrical contact with the flange 113 of the contact 83, thus still maintaining'the circuit closed. Upon deenergization of the solenoid 106 the contact 109 drops down under the action of spring 110,

- through a slot 114;,- in the contact 83, whereupon the arm 81 is free to rotate further, unoer the action of spring 111, and moves until its. contact 109 strikes the next contact 83, which is in electrical connection with the next fuse 84.

If it is desired to carry out the above operation by hand the rope 115 is pulled. The rope 11 5 passes'about a pulley 116 and is connected to an iron bar 117 pivotally mounted on the post 97 and 118. Rigidly connected with the bottom of pipe 99 is a spindle 119, which bears upon one end of the lever 117. Therefore, upon pulling the rope 115 the spindle 119, together with pipe 99, insulator- 101, rotating arm 81, are raised 'so that the contact 109 is raised until it is above the top face 112, whereupon the arm- 81, rotates, as before explained. Upon releasin the rope 115 the contact 109 drops down liy the weight of the various parts, so

as before explained, whereupon the contact 109 will pass to and electrically contact with ,the next contact 83. A rope 120 limits the downward movement of the parts. The pipe or rod 99 carries fixed thereto a gear 121, which meshes with a gear 122. The gear 122 is suitably journaled within a vessel 123, and has secured thereto within the vessel 123, a set of vanes 124. The vessel 123 is suitably filled with oil, so that the vanes operating within the oil; form a suitable damping means by which the rotating movement of the arm 81 is suitably damped.

When an exceptionally heavy current traverses the circuit the fuse 84 with which the switch 109-is in circuit will burn out. It is then desirable to automatically close the circuit again andvinclude a new fuse therein, which is accomplished in the following manner. Upon the heavy current passing through the circuit the solenoid 106 is energized, so that contact 109 is raised and comes into contact with the face 113 as above described. It remains in contact with the face 113 until the fuse 88 blows out, whereupon the solenoid 106 becoming deenergized, contact 109 drops through the slot 114, whereupon the spring 111 causes the contact 109 to engage the next contact 83, so that a new fuse'84 is connected in circuit to be ready to operate upon the occurrence of another abnormal current in the circuit. Thus the apparatus is always ready to automatically open and close the circuit upon the occurrence of the conditions for which the fuses 84 are set, and the opening and closing of the circuit may be repeated a number of times in rapid succession. Before all of the fuses have burned there will however, be ample time to replace the fuses and reset the arm 81 and switch 109 so that it will engage the first contact 83. All parts of the circuit are well insulated. and the fuses 84 are inclosed, so that the apparatus is especially adapted to high tension work of 10,000 volts or more.

Although I have described my improvements in great detail and with respect to one particular form of the invention, nevertheless I do not desire to be limited to the details shown and described, except as clearly specified in the appended claims, since many changes and modifications may well be made without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention in its broadest aspects.

Having fully and clearly described my improvements in one form, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. The combination of an electrical circuit, a plurality of inclosed fuses, a rotatable member carrying a switch contact adapted to consecutively connect the fuses in series in said circuit, a coil responsive to current variations in said circuit means controlled by said coil for causing said contact to be given a movement in one direction upon a certain current flowing in said circuit, and allowing said contact to be given a movement in another direction upon the blowing out of a fuse in said circuit, and means whereby the last movement of said contact allows the member to rotate to cause the contact to connect another fuse in said circuit.

2. The combination of an electrical circuit, a plurality of fuses, a rotatable switch arm adapted to consecutively connect the fuses in series in said circuit, and a coil responsive to current changes in -the circuit for causing the switch arm to move from connection with one fuse to connection with the next fuse after the first fuse has blown out, and separate high potential insulators upon which said fuses and switch arm are carried.

3. The combination of an electrical circuit, a plurality of inclosed fuses, a rotatable member carrying a switch contact adapted to consecutively connect the fusesin series in said circuit, a coil responsive to current variations in said circuit means controlled by said coil for causing said contact to move upon a certain. current flowing in said circult, and allowing said contact-to move back u on the blowing out of a fuse in said circuit, and means whereby the last movement of said contact allows the member to rotate to cause the contact to connect another fuse in said circuit, a sprin for causing said member to rotate, and big p0.- tential insulators upon which said fuses and rotatable member are carried, said coil being carried upon said member.

' In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LLOYD o. NICHOLSON.

\Vitnesses i O. D. HUNTER, H. L. SHARP, 

